#MyKiplingBag Tour Hits Honolulu

Happy New Year! I had the honor of attending last week’s #MyKiplingBag Tour Honolulu event, which featured the whimsical world of Kipling, and just outside, a huge 8-by-10-foot inflatable, red nylon replica of a Kipling purse. I couldn’t resist taking a candid picture in front of it with my good friend Sandra. We spent a lot of time in there enjoying the various Kipling products and ono food by Top Chef finalist Lee Ann Wong.

The author with pal Sandra Billington pose with an inflatable Kipling bag

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Honolulu was the last stop in the #MyKiplingBag Tour, and at this fab event we were pampered with complimentary massages, a VMV Hypoallergenics Beauty Bar, free monogramming of the bags they gave away, and last but not least, an interactive photo booth called The Bosco, which the Kipling team brought from New York.

I had never seen a photo booth like this before, and it was fun to use (and best of all, you could email the pictures to yourself with the iPad they had attached to it).

Apparently, The Bosco was started by a eclectic group of artists and engineers, and these booths focus on cutting-edge technology, design and social media. Anyway, you can view the pictures here: thebos.co/e/kipling-handbag-event (the pictures from the Honolulu event are Dec. 18-20).

So, I had to ask which bags could accommodate my gadgets, and there were a few different backpacks with laptop protection. These bags weigh only 1.5 pounds (very lightweight!) and feature a laptop pocket with a padded back and bottom panel. They also include two pen sleeves, a cellphone pocket, iPhone/iPod/small device pocket and an internal zippered pocket. Of course, they’re made with Kipling’s signature water-resistant crinkle nylon and have a Kipling monkey dangling off the side. I can’t wait to take this for a test drive on my next plane ride. The average price for one of these is $98-$119 (in various colors and prints).

In addition, a slightly larger bag called the Alcatraz II Backpack with Laptop Protection can be used as either a backpack or wheeled carry-on. It accommodates a 15-inch laptop and has hide-away backpack straps, a retractable multistage wheel handle with a blocking button, and various pockets for all your stuff. My favorite part of this is the wheels – perfect for traveling! Retail price is $229.

Of course, you can find all sorts of handbags, wallets, luggage and accessories on the website (kipling-usa.com) or at the Ala Moana store, and you still can take advantage of the free monogramming from last week’s event. Unfortunately, it’s online only, if you enter the code “KiplingHawaii” at checkout (expires Jan. 31). What a great way to start the new year – with a new bag!

Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: 12 Days of Gifts

Exclusive to Apple/iOS since Dec. 26, 2013, Apple is offering its post-Christmas 12 Days of Gifts. The first very quiet, early “secret” gift was released Dec. 15, and it was a free download of Lorde’s No Better, along with the TV edit version of Royals. As I’m writing this it’s still before Christmas, so no gifts have been released officially yet. I expect to see songs, apps, books, movies and TV shows. Note each gift only will be available for 24 hours, so make sure to download the app and pay attention to the daily gifts – enjoy!